When The Slayer Came To Town
by LoreoftheFaye
Summary: Faith didn't survive that knife wound to the gut. She died and a new slayer was called to Sunnydale. How can she possibly prove herself to the Scoobies and will she end up just like the girl she's replacing? Yes, it's an OC but I swear it's good! R&R plz
1. Passing the Torch

**So...umm...what can I say? For those of you familiar with my contributions to this site and to this universe you probably know I tend to keep things neat, tidy, and generally in canon. Also, I seem to have a penchant for writing Faith.**

**This is my attempt to literally fuck the Whedon-verse.**

**Wait, no, that's not what I meant. Basically I'm making this completely AU and killing Faith (yikes! No fallback comfort character for me!) and bringing in my own OC to step into the role of Slayer to see how things go. Could be meat, could be cake. *shrugs* We'll see how it goes, shall we? Do R&R.**

"Get a crash cart, we're losing her!"

There was a high pitched squeal from the heart monitor as the brunette lay lifeless on the hospital gurney. Doctors and nurses rushed to her side, wheeling a large cart with them. Instantly her hospital gown was shoved aside and the paddles coated with conductive gel. A masked doctor stood over her, his brown eyes taking in the sight of the rather large knife wound on her abdomen. It went straight through her torso, miraculously missing her vital organs, and whatever made that cut was sharp as a razor and likely pretty wicked to look at.

Still, the girl had lost a lot of blood. It wasn't surprising that her heart was failing. With the trauma evident on the body, he could figure a reasonable assumption of what happened. It was amazing the young woman was alive at all. And yet, it looked like she was already healing when he had a chance to inspect the wound closer just minutes before. Amazing thing, the human body.

He pressed the paddles to her chest, one on top of her heart and the other just to the right. Once in position he nodded to the nurse at the main console. "250 jules." He directed. Once she nodded he checked his placement and once he was satisfied he gave a quick jerk of his head. "Clear."

The electricity jolted into her body, causing the muscles to contract and immediately relax. Her body appeared to jump on the table but still not response. She was still dead. The nurse turned the dial up without the doctor having to say the words. "Clear." He indicated again and again the young woman's body jumped on the table. Everyone watched, waiting, for a response. One didn't come. The doctor sighed and nodded, indicating that the dial should be turned up. "One more time." He said urgently.

"You're a fighter. You can do this. Don't leave us." He told the dead woman, urging her back to life.

He pressed the paddles in their appropriate places, willing her to come back to them, willing her heart to beat once more. "Clear."

She jumped and for a tense ten seconds they waited for the body to contact and release, hoping against hope that she'd make a triumphant comeback to life. The doctor muttered words of encouragement and prayer under his breath. She was so young and appeared so strong. After thirty seconds passed with no change and no heartbeat the nurse reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. He was startled by the sudden contact. He'd been staring so hard at her bruised face, hoping, he'd lost himself in thought.

"Doctor?" The nurse's voice was quiet.

"I'll call it." He sighed, conceding. "Faith Lehane. Time of Death 11:32 pm."

Outside the hospital room the Mayor watched the scene and began to grieve. If he ever thought he had a bone to pick with Buffy Summers before, the thought was tenfold now. She was close by, in a hospital bed of her own, drained by the vampire she claimed to love. It would be so easy to kill her here and now were she not surrounded by her idiotic band of friends and family. They all sat anxiously by, waiting on news of her recovery. She could be fixed with a simple enough blood transfusion, not like his girl who lay cooling on the hospital bed just beyond the window. His heart ached.

He walked toward the blond's room, enraged, and was stopped at the door by her Watcher, all concern and British sensibility. The Mayor's eyes widened and wanted to push past the other but the two men didn't touch. His eyes blazed, locking onto the tired Watcher's green orbs with a sort of fierceness one seldom saw in his Norman Rockwell-esque demeanor. He looked past Giles to where Buffy lay and hated her. He hated good, and Slayers, and couldn't wait to ascend and crush them all.

"Why is it your girl gets to live and mine has to be on that table?" he burst out, almost shouting in an uncharacteristic fashion. Of course, no one in the hospital would take note of the incident. He owned the town and had for generations. When he said once that he could murder someone in broad daylight in the middle of the street and walk away scott free, he wasn't kidding. He could blame it on grieving later. Everyone in the office knew of his new protege, a girl protected by him. They just didn't know her official job description.

The staunch Britishman was content to keep his Slayer safe with his own body, having no regard for the Mayor's harsh words. Angel stood nearby, growling predatorially. Their common foe barely glanced in the vampire's direction. Giles sighed and tried to be as civil as he could be in this situation. He didn't like the Mayor. The man was the current Big Bad and they all knew it. However, the man was also indestructible and grieving, so far as he had feelings to grieve. Nothing would be gained by starting a brawl and both he and Angel knew it. Nothing to gain and a lot to lose so Giles opted for tact and civility, as much as he could possibly muster. It wasn't much.

"I might feel a bit sorrier for her if she hadn't tried to kill us so many times. Not to mention her constant killing of others and the evil schemes."

"You just didn't understand her!" the Mayor responded in anguish. "She was perfect! Brutal, efficient..."

"Manipulatable?" Giles supplied, interrupting and the other man fell silent.

"I loved her." he defended.

"I've no doubt. She was a scared and tormented girl. All you had to do was show her a little affection and positive attention and you had as good a killer as you'd ever want at your disposal. You manipulated her need for structure to your own ends. That's not love."

"How dare you say that!" he protested. "I ought to kill you where you stand for suggesting such a thing. She was like my daughter and I took her under my wing the best way I could."

"You convinced her to kill. You took a very fragile sense of right and wrong and the sensitive emotional state she was in and bent her to your will."

"She had a home. She had security and Gosh Darnit if she didn't have love! Some deaths in life are necessary for the means to justify the ends."

"Evidently not." the Watcher responded evenly, nodding in the direction of the room where Faith's body was being taken to the morgue. Wilkins noticed the movement and forgot his futile argument with the stuffy Britishman and his confounding logic and lack of sympathy. He accompanied the body out of the room leaving the rest of the Scoobies to deal with the consequences of the night. Xander clung to Willow who clung to herself. Giles stayed in Buffy's doorway, watching her for signs of life. He knew how easily it could have been her carted away to a slab in the morgue. Angel leaned against the wall, on guard and safe so long as no one made him go outside or near a window. Though he and Buffy had faced their own demons and were parting, he still loved her.

Of course, the guilt was intense. More demons attached to his conscience and refused to let go this time. He'd almost killed her in his innate desire to live, well, survive. No one seemed to blame him but he continued to blame himself. Buffy was in critical condition, Faith dead. Who knew how things would go one from here?

Somewhere far away Destiny Powell woke from a sound sleep, breathing hard. One was dead and the next was called. The Hellmouth began to call her name, reaching out over the distance to draw her in. She closed her eyes and tried to deal with the power and promise cycling through her veins. For all her training she never had any expectation to be called and yet here she was. Chosen.

The Slayer.


	2. Bad First Impressions

In Destiny's estimation there wasn't much about Sunnydale that was appealing. Sure, it had the California sun hanging overhead but it was in the middle of a desert with no other town or city less than an hour's drive away. On the plus side, and the only redeeming feature, Los Angeles was a mere five hour drive and Disneyland only four. She climbed out of the car in front of Sunnydale High and her eyes swept over the empty front grounds. It was a big campus, all things considered. With her Watcher by her side they walked into the building and passed by the front office straight to the library.

She paused just inside the door. Destiny wasn't what you'd call the athletic type until she hit puberty. Her baby fat melted away and suddenly she had curves and enjoyed jogging as much as she liked to read and write. Her hair was brown and straight and reached her lower back tied back in a braid like it was now. Her eyes were blue and darted all around the library, taking it all in.

She was thirteen when Angelina, her Watcher, approached her to begin training as a potential Slayer. She was sixteen now and didn't like the weight actually being called placed on her shoulders. For a while it had been fun to go out once in a while and practice the real thing, all the while learning how to kick the butts of bullies but now to be placed under the pressure of slaying vampires and averting Apocalypses?

"Pardon me," a staunchly British voice broke into her thoughts. "Can I help you?"

"Rupert Giles!" Angelina said approvingly. It was seldom the Brazilian woman took to anyone or anything so well and Destiny's eyes traveled up to meet the mysterious voice.

"Wow!" she yelped, taking a step back. He was, well, British and kind of attractive in a bookwormy sort of way. He looked nothing like her own Watcher and stood there looking annoyed that no one had yet answered his question or introduced themselves. That annoyance was put on pause when Buffy, Willow, and Xander pushed through the double doors. All of them were talking at once and stopped short seeing the pair before them. Buffy was the first to walk past toward the library's table. The others followed and Destiny immediately knew who she was.

"No Way!" she breathed out. "You're Buffy Summers! You're _the_ Slayer!"

"Who are you?" she responded blankly, though she could have guessed if she wanted to.

"I'm Destiny, Powell. I'm the new Slayer, I guess?" She paused as everyone stared. Xander's chin dropped. She continued. "This is Angelina Barragan, my Watcher."

Giles sputtered uncharacteristically and both he and Willow spoke in unison. "_The_ Angelina Barragan?"

The older woman smiled, happy to be recognized. Giles gushed, moving toward her. "Your book on rituals in demonic world is remarkable. It is _the_ textbook on the subject for new Watchers."

The redhead piped up as soon as her mentor fell silent. "And your contribution to the Modern, Magical Almanac is extensive, practically legend. I've learned so much just reading your footnotes!"

Destiny shied back. She felt invisible which didn't happen often now that her life had changed. She sighed. So far Buffy hadn't taken her eyes from the newcomer, surveying the girl as if she'd already done something wrong. Giles noticed the girl shying away and stepped forward, extending his hand. "Rupert Giles. Welcome to Sunnydale High. It's incredibly late in the year but I'm sure we can enroll you."

Her Watcher shook her head softly. "Destiny skipped two grades. She graduated earlier this year, in January. Enrollment won't be necessary."

Xander's jaw hadn't actually managed to pick itself up yet but he did manage to get out a single sentence. "So how old are you?"

"Sixteen." She replied, feeling uneasy. Buffy's eyes hardened.

"What's she doing here?"

"Buffy!" Giles admonished. The older woman's eyes moved from their current gaze at the Watcher across the room to his protégé.

"Is there a problem with her being here, Ms. Summers?" Her voice was accented and she kept it light despite the question it asked.

To anyone unfamiliar with the woman, Angelina Barragan was not intimidating. She stood at barely 5'4 and was slight in her stature. She was slim and willowy, lithe for being a woman in her middle forties. Only her eyes told of how hard she was in mind and body. To those that knew, she was very intimidating indeed. Of course, Buffy wasn't the type to back down.

"Well, let's think. The last Slayer we had in here tried to kill us all. Did someone mention I just got out of a hospital?"

The Brazilian woman paused. "Very true, and I grant you that. However, the Slayer before that stood by your side until she was killed, Buffy. Would you hold that good performance against my Slayer as well? Or, perhaps, you could give her the benefit of the doubt in her first impressions. After all, if I counted precedent against you I'd think you nothing more than a rude, arrogant American girl and not the strong, determined Slayer I've come to know through your Watcher's reports."

They all stood flabbergasted and Destiny stood embarrassed for herself. This was not the impression she wanted to make, that her Watcher had to fight her battles for her. "Angel!" she hissed, agonized and red-faced.

"Excuse me, Angel?" Buffy burst out, still hurt by the turmoil between her and the vampire.

The Watcher nodded. "My nickname to those I hold dear. You, of course, may call me Ms. Barragan."

"How bout you pack up Slayer Jr. here and leave?"

Destiny felt her anger boiling up and over, being treated as if she wasn't in the room. "Now wait a minute!" she burst out. "I haven't done a damn thing to you and I'm not leaving. You can say whatever you want about me but until I prove I can't do the job why don't you just assume that I can? I mean, I didn't ask for this and yet here I am." She fell silent a moment, not wanting to be so mean but feeling good for standing up for herself. "Look, if was here or Cleveland. I grew up in Michigan. In a tiny town in Michigan. I don't know about you but California beats Ohio any day of the week. Besides, I heard you had an ascension coming pretty much now and I want to help."

Giles sighed. This was not the introduction he'd hoped for though he couldn't blame Buffy for her trust issues considering everything that had happened this year. Even his own ability to be trusted was called into question by his choices. He heard the woman by his side speaking again, more softly than before.

"Buffy, I don't intend to take anything away from you. I know what passed between you and the Watcher's Council and I think its horse shit. Rupert is your Watcher and I won't presume to know what's best for you. I won't even try. However, I do know what's best for my own Slayer and you need to trust in that and not try to interfere. You gave your life to help the world and created an anomaly. Maybe that same anomaly can help give you your life back."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and Giles couldn't blame her for her trust issues. Himself included, everyone's ability to be trusted was put into question at some point this year and if she was skeptical, he couldn't really say he'd react any differently in her shoes. Of course, as cavalier as he wanted to be he felt he ought to check with the Council anyway. He didn't know why someone would want to pose as a Slayer and come to a Hellmouth but just in case. Buffy's hazel eyes didn't back down but she finally spoke with more than just her body language.

"Fine. But I don't trust you."

Destiny shrugged. "Up to you. Who you trust doesn't bother me as long as you can work with me. I'm young but I'm ready."

"We'll see how ready you are when the Mayor turns into a demon and tried to destroy the town."

"Bring it on."

"Ladies?" that was Rupert. "Perhaps training after school?"

Buffy shrugged. "Yeah, sure, why not? I could use the exercise."

Destiny shrugged, moving to the counter and hopping up to sit on it as the bell rang. "I'm ready to go now. I don't have class to attend." She grinned cheekily and Buffy didn't miss the slight. Her Watcher gave her a chastising look. She continued her cheeky grin as Buffy picked up her books off the table and moved toward the double doors. Willow and Xander watched her go and felt sort of torn. For all they knew they'd need Destiny's help but Buffy's distrust kind of meant they couldn't roll out the welcome mat.

Willow walked over to where the sixteen year old sat and smiled. "She's been through a lot lately. She'll warm up eventually."

Destiny smiled at the gesture Willow was trying to make and shook her head. "Ever since I found out about this whole destiny thing I wanted to be her. Now I'm kinda figuring out how hard it's gotta be. It's a lotta pressure and a tiny lifespan."

The redhead nodded and looked toward the door. "I gotta go. You know, class. Maybe afterschool you can meet my boyfriend, Oz."

"I'd like that."

The other two left leaving the two adults and child Slayer behind. Giles cleared his throat. "That went about as well as can be expected."

Angelina nodded. "She's hostile."

The Britishman couldn't deny it. "She has cause."

"I've no doubt."

"I'm going to call the Council, you know." He told her, glancing sidelong. She nodded.

"I'd expect no less from you, Rupert." He was taken aback by the informal use of his first name. They'd just met and his British sensibilities balked at the idea of her being so informal so soon. Still, she was from a warmer culture than he and she made it clear she saw them as equals. He decided not to fight it. Instead he led her toward his office so he could make his call with her full knowledge.

"May I call you Angelina, then?" he asked. She nodded. He led her into his office and motioned toward the phone. "As soon as this is sorted out I'll make us a nice cup of tea, shall I?" Again the woman nodded.

"Sounds wonderful, Rupert, thank you."

Once again Destiny was alone in her thoughts. She slipped off the check out counter and wandered through the stacks of the library scanning the titles she found. She didn't know if she liked Buffy yet and knew pretty unequivocally that the girl didn't like her. She respected the elder Slayer. She missed home and her friends. It was hard seeing her Watcher fit in so easily when she felt so out of place herself. Then again the spitfire woman seemed to be able to make herself at ease anywhere, a lesson she had not yet passed on to her protégé. She wished there was a handbook for situations like this. Unfortunately her own handbook failed to cover what to do should the current living Slayer not trust you as the young upstart.

Giles came out into the main room, looking for the new Slayer. The Council confirmed that she was indeed the new Slayer and was assigned to the Hellmouth to make up for, what he was told, his incompetence. He didn't see her right away and went looking alone, leaving her Watcher in the office sipping a nice cup of Bovril tea. He found her alone among the books reading an old tome most students weren't bothered with. He cleared his throat so as not to startle her and crouched down by her side.

"That's a rather thick volume for a girl your age." He observed. She shut the book and looked at him.

"I like to read."

"As do I." he agreed softly. His green eyes studied her face. She looked as young as Buffy had when she first came to him. Now she was hard as nails.

"I won't excuse her behavior but I, for one, will be happy to have you here."

"You're the only one. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I never thought I'd say it but I even miss Michigan."

"Parents?"

"Dead." She answered coldly. "Car crash after I was born."

"Who?" he asked softly.

"My Aunt. She got money to let me live with her. Do you know what it's like to live in a tiny town in the middle of no where? Everyone knows you. So when I started training with Angelina everyone knew. It's impossible to hide it. I was freak of the week for three years for a life I might never be called for and now that I have been chosen it's like the weight of the world's in my hands. Who decided this was the way to be? One girl against God knows how many demons. It doesn't make sense!"

Giles nodded companionably. He understood the sentiments. Most of them were echoed by Buffy in her early days, striving for a normal life. There was nothing he could say or do. He'd been down this road before.

"I've no doubt you'll rise to the calling." He said softly as he rose. "It's in your blood, after all."

She flipped the book open again and found the place she left off reading from. Giles approved of that. She seemed more predisposed to research than Buffy was and about as vulnerable in her own way. He watched her read a while, not quite ready to leave her alone among the stacks.

"For what it's worth," he said at last, "Welcome to the Hellmouth."


	3. Finding Common Ground

"Rah!"

The blond Slayer grunted with exertion, bringing her staff forward to strike at the brunette wielding her own weapon. The blow was aimed at Destiny's head; Buffy wasn't pulling any punches and Rupert Giles grimaced from the sidelines, watching. Destiny's Watcher, Angelina, was also on the sidelines, casually reclining in a wood backed chair. Oz, Xander, and Willow watched the sparring in awe.

Both Slayers were fighting as if their lives depended on it, treating each other like the worst demon known to man. It was a masterpiece! Buffy pushed and Destiny pushed back. Neither girl gained the upper hand as the fight wore on several long minutes. Push, block, dodge, parry, push, clash. The hollow sounds of wood striking wood echoed through the large library. Both girls were sweating and acting out on the jitters of their first meeting. The elder Slayer wanted to test the newcomer and she wasn't going to be gentle about it. Much to Angelina's approval and Giles' surprise, the girl was holding her own against the other. Despite being younger and having less experience she was actually not letting the blond gain any ground.

Destiny hated staves. She almost never used them in the real world application of her training. Of course, it was in the handbook as the basic method for learning weapons hand to hand so she had to train with them. She much preferred swords and axes, things that were capable of dealing more damage instead of blunt instruments that wore an opponent down over time.

Buffy pushed her staff forward, clashing with Destiny's when the brunette brought hers up to deflect the hit. The brunette shifted her hands, bringing her wrists up and tilting her hands back to catch the hit and glance it off to the right. Buffy's staff slid against hers and the Slayer turned with the momentum giving Destiny enough time to bring the other end of her staff forward, bashing the blond's right shoulder. The wounded girl gave a growl of surprise and moved into a fresh assault, pushing Destiny back until she was against the cage. Buffy brought her staff down lightning fast and broke her opponent's in half.

The bunette glared, not the least bit perturbed by the other's intense reaction. She launched herself off the cage with a push, wielding the dual sticks like twin blades. She pressed the elder, making Buffy give the floor inch by inch. She landed another hit, bashing Buffy's side with one of her staves while the other blocked Buffy's hit. The blond grunted. She swung at the young girl with her staff and brought her leg to sweep the brunette's Slayer's knees. Destiny gave a cry and went down. Buffy's staff came down as well, pulling up just underneath the girl's chin.

For a minute no one spoke and no one moved. It was quite a show they'd just seen and no one seemed to know what to make of it. Buffy still had her staff at the young Slayer's throat and Destiny didn't try to move. They were panting, sweating, and tired. Finally the blond put her staff to the side and offered the other a hand up. Destiny took it, looking at the broken wood lying on the floor. The elder Slayer grinned and looked at her rival with a newfound respect.

"You're good."

Destiny grinned. "Thanks."

The others began to move again as Buffy put her staff away in the cage. "I'm better." She said at last. The brunette laughed.

"If you weren't I'd be surprised. You've had more time to practice."

Giles came over offering water to them both. "Good show, Buffy. Excellent technique, Destiny."

Angelina grinned to herself. "She has been an extraordinary student but yours has fire you don't often see, Rupert. She's gifted."

It was his turn to grin with an innate sense of pride. "I've always thought so. Remarkably little I needed to do, I assure you."

Willow rushed over with Oz close behind. It was funny, he never seemed to rush anywhere but he always seemed to keep up with Willow when she decided she was in a hurry. It was just assumed it was part of his musician's mystery. The redhead gushed the minute she got close.

"That was great you guys! Wow! It's going to be so nice to have another Slayer around that isn't, you know, trying to kill us." She turned and motioned the Oz, whose hair happened to be orange this week. "This is my boyfriend Oz. He's a werewolf."

The boy gave a nod of his head, too cool to realize how cool he was. "Yeah, but don't worry. I'm only a wolf during the full moon. We've tried to create a support group for people like me, Wolves Anonymous, but the anonymous part isn't going very well cause there's only one member and I know my own real name."

Both girls giggled and Willow gave Destiny a look that plainly asked _"isn't he adorable?"_ to which the Slayer could only nod her head in agreement. Oz seemed blissfully oblivious. Buffy came over with Xander close behind. She was the best friend and had long since given all the required compliments and sounds of jealousy over how happy they were and how cute they looked together. At the moment she looked more serious than friendly. Her eyes were hard hazel orbs and her brow was knit in concern.

"Graduation's tomorrow. We have a plan. The Mayor's turning demon but he'll still have human feelings. We might be able to use that against him."

They all moved to the table behind them where school blueprints were spread and pinned in place by books. Destiny blinked. It was a large school, larger than she thought. It had two stories with a built on auditorium and a large gym, not to mention science labs and courtyards. She was absently jealous she'd spent her high school years in a cramped two story building while it snowed from October to April. Buffy pointed to the inner courtyard.

"You'll help Xander and the others hold the vampires off here. It's an eclipse of the sun tomorrow so vamps will be topside for a little while. Whatever happens, don't let anyone distract the Mayor and try to keep the casualties to a minimum. I told my mom to get out of town but these guys here are my family. Keep them alive."

Destiny nodded, wondering what on Earth was in store for the Mayor. "How are you going to stop him?" she asked softly. Buffy shook her head.

"The less anyone knows on that, the better. Let's just hope he's still in the grieving mood."

"It's only been a day. Who wouldn't be?"

"An evil Mayor turning demon?" That was Xander.

"Good point."

"What time is graduation?"

"It starts at noon. We'll set up tomorrow morning but the night is ours."

"I'm new here. I don't have anything to do."

Buffy shrugged. "My mom's out of town. Want to go patrolling and crash with me? I can be your tour guide to Sunnydale's hotspots. It'll only take twenty minutes but could be fun."

"We aren't Bronzing it?" Xander put his arm around Buffy's shoulder. She smiled.

"I thought you guys would want some time alone with your families…just in case."

"Are you kidding? Another night watching mom pretend she's happy while dad hits the bottle?"

Willow shrugged. "My mom and Dad are out of town. It's like they completely forgot I was graduating. They're in South America somewhere, I think. They probably still think I'm twelve."

"Bronze and my house, then?"

"After patrolling." That was Destiny. She was eager to see what she was up against out here.

"Oh, God! Mini Giles all over again!" Buffy cried in dismay. The brunette smiled and shook her head.

"Not quite. I learned everything I know from Angelina." Then she seemed to remember the woman and turned around. "What are you going to do?"

"Mr. Giles was kind enough to invite me over to his home to look through some rare texts. It would be rude of me to decline." From the sparkle in her eye Destiny suspected something she didn't say out loud.

"Well, I guess I'll be at Buffy's?" she replied easily. They hadn't made permanent living arrangements in town yet. Angelina was waiting on reimbursement from the Council for the move. They'd put out a lot of money to move her over the years from Brazil to several stops in England, to Spain, Italy, and then to the United States once she'd been assigned Destiny. Now she waited on a rather sizable relocation fund to buy her own home in the area where she and her protégé could live.

"We'll meet here again tomorrow, my dear." She responded softly. She wanted the brunette to fit into this new crowd of people better than she fit into her last school. As much as she loved the girl, Destiny wasn't famous for fitting in to a crowd. She was either too bookwormish or too athletic. She didn't know her own strength and that caused a lot of awkward opportunities. Her heart broke but that was life. Right now the brunette was smiling genuinely, happy to have the first step toward friendship with people who trusted her to help them.

"Come on. Let's go back to my house. I need to shower and we'll find you something to wear. No offense but the flannel look kinda died with grunge music."

She looked down at the plaid flannel shirt tied around her small waist. Underneath she wore a white tanktop which was good enough for California weather but apparently bad on the fashion scale. The blond Slayer took her by the shoulders and led her out of the building, talking about going through her wardrobe at first chance to weed out the fashion don'ts. It was as if there was no threat of Apocalypse in the air.

"She's remarkable." Angelina observed, standing with the librarian and watching the bundle of students walk out the door. "This will be good for Destiny. She doesn't make friends easily and I thought the age difference might make things hard for her but Buffy's taking to her better than she showed earlier."

"She earned Buffy's respect for talent and ability, it seems. The rest will come in time but it is a start." He gave her a sidelong glance.

"You sound like you have a mother's love for the girl. Hardly objective."

"So it seems. I maintain my objectivity when I can but to be honest I simply want what's best for her. This is something she will do, it will not define who she is."

The Britishman nodded. He believed the same thing and found it hard to believe he was fired from the Council for the same things she just admitted to being guilty of herself. Was it impossible to have a Slayer, to work closely with the same kind of vulnerable girl and not develop these feelings of love and admiration for them? Was wanting to protect them from more harm than they need to be exposed to really such a horrible crime?

"I assume you've heard of my…disgrace."

"There was nothing disgraceful about it, Rupert!" she responded, horrified he'd suggest such a thing. "You simply didn't want to put your Slayer through something cruel and possibly lethal. I understand."

"You'll face that, too, someday." he mentioned quietly. "She's sixteen now and eighteen isn't too far behind. Will you defy the Council as well?"

"I'd like to think I will. I love Destiny but the Council is all I know. It's all I was ever taught. I don't come from a long line of Watchers like you do, Rupert. I was chosen from a small town outside of Buenos Aires, barely a village, and I've worked so hard to make this life something meaningful. I was meant to guide but I didn't know I'd love her so much."

"They creep under your skin, that's for sure. I don't know how you're meant to stay human and not care for them the way we do. I count the minutes until Buffy shows up for school in the morning."

He offered a smile and then did something unusually bold and grabbed the woman by her shoulders and held her at arm's length for a moment. She was too stunned to move. His eyes caught hers and there was a mesh of chocolate brown and jade green. Each studied the other looking for answers they hadn't found yet. Rupert spoke again, this time passionately.

"You can defy the Council and have your life still retain meaning. Perhaps if enough of us defy the old traditions we can rally to make new ones. There's no reason to believe we can't. The Council needs change."

She made a small sound. "You're hurting me."

He released her immediately, stepping back a pace to put distance between them. He was immediately embarrassed and overcompensated by losing all earlier passion as well as his line of thought. Now he couldn't look her in the eye. "So sorry. I don't know what came over me."

She laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I liked it." She laughed again, louder, at the look of confusion that preceded the blush across his face and moved toward the library's large double doors. "Shall we proceed to your house, Rupert, so we can discuss demons? Perhaps one of these days you'll want to talk about something other than work. I'm not known for patience but I might consider waiting on you."

He quickly followed after her.


	4. Kiss and a Miss

"Here, try this one." The blond handed the brunette a slate blue dress and the girl held it at arm's length, looking at the garment dubiously. Buffy watched her and tried not to laugh. "I take it you don't wear dresses."

"Not in public where people can see me." The other replied doubtfully. "The last time I wore a dress was to my Aunt Jo's wedding to Uncle Fred and that was when I was six."

The blond sighed and pushed her toward the waiting bathroom. Buffy called her mother in LA and told her the situation. Then she passed the phone off to the other Slayer. Joyce decided she liked Destiny with her shy ways and approved of Buffy taking the new Slayer under her wing. She still wasn't comfortable with Slayers or what her daughter was but she thought this couldn't have come at a better time. Her daughter was accepted to college in the fall and like all mothers she wanted what was best for her baby. She didn't want to see someone else's baby get hurt but selfishly she thanked God that her daughter had a chance to move on.

The brunette stepped into the bathroom and pulled the slippery grayish blue fabric over her head. She felt bare when she looked at herself in the mirror. Spaghetti straps didn't cover her shoulders and her legs were bare from the knees down and showed the fact that she'd not seen real sun in years. When she came out, though, the other girl stared in wonder. She was pretty beneath all of the tomboy. The brunette was hugging herself, avoiding eye contact, showing she was embarrassed. "C'mon, Buffy. This isn't me."

"Not you is hot!" the other declared happily. "That blue matches your eyes and it looks great!"

"How am I supposed to slay in this thing?"

"You'll survive. The vampires will be so stunned by how great you look that they won't have time to attack."

"Very funny."

"And yet, not kidding. I knew you had the body but beneath those baggy shirts who'd have known?"

"Buffy!"

"Oh, alright." The other relented. "But I'll get you in a dress eventually. Just promise me one thing. You'll never, ever wear leather pants."

"huh?"

"Promise?"

"Um…sure?"

The blond dove into her closet once more determined to find the perfect thing for them both. This she eventually did after an hour of hard searching. When they descended the stairs again the small town Slayer was transformed. Her long brown hair was down and in waves from her perpetual braid and she was dressed in a form fitting shirt that dipped lower than she'd have liked in front. They compromised from spaghetti straps to tank sleeves and the color was a similar blue to the dress. Buffy even managed to convince the girl to wear makeup and did it tastefully enough. Xander caught his breath to see the two girls coming down the stairs.

"Wow!" he managed but that was all he managed.

"Thanks." The younger girl blushed as the older one rolled her eyes.

"Let's get going to patrol. We don't want to be late to meet Oz and Willow."

Xander stuck close to the girls as they made their way across town. In the grand scheme of things Sunnydale wasn't that large. Only one Starbucks, one fancy restaurant, and only one mall that barely made up two stories worth of shopping. Yep, it really was a one horse kind of town. Destiny had taken to calling it Singleton with a tan, a joking reference to her old town. They moved into the cemetery, sweeping the premises but nothing came out to play.

"It's probably the Ascension. They're scared to screw up his plans."

"Probably a good thing for us." Xander responded. Buffy nodded.

Destiny turned and walked back the way they came leaving Buffy to walk with her best friend. She watched him sidelong, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He did have a thing for Slayers, after all, and this one seemed to be no exception. He stared at her from behind, his eyes following each movement of her body. The blond grabbed his hand and squeezed it, getting his attention.

"You don't want to go there, Xand." She warned. "We don't know her yet."

"Go where?"

"Do we have to talk about this like you don't know what I'm saying?" she asked softly, keeping her words from Destiny's earshot. Xander looked like he was playing dumb or, in the this case, actually clueless. She sighed. "You tend to get all emotional when it comes to Slayers and she's new and young and we don't know anything about her. Just, please, take it easy. I don't want you to get hurt again."

She was referring to Faith, of course, and herself further back. She'd never hurt him intentionally and Faith seduced him and then tried to kill him when he intervened on her behalf. If not for Angel…she trailed off and realized Destiny had come to a stop in front of them as well. She recognized the figure in front of the new Slayer.

"Angel!" she stopped, not able to hide the pain on her face even if she'd wanted to. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw Destiny. I checked on her thinking she might be attacked but there's nothing out here tonight. It's a graveyard." He stopped, noticing the irony of that statement.

"You don't need to worry about her. She's a new Slayer."

"You got here quick."

"I woke up when Faith died and the Council called about 2 minutes later to tell us to get here. A plane ride and six hours later we were here. So you're Angel. You're…wow!" she breathed softly. Buffy frowned before Destiny continued and she really frowned. "It's hard to imagine you as the demon that tortured all those people." Xander snickered.

"Well, I'm trying to make up for it." He looked sheepish, or managed to. The brunette didn't realize what she was saying and in whose company. Not much was written about the vampire in modern times and though Angelina was well acquainted with the exploits of Angel and Angelus in Giles' reports she didn't share much with her young and vulnerable protégé.

"How?"

"I kill my own kind. I've been helping Buffy."

"When you're not busy trying to kill her, Dead Boy. Let's not forget." Xander was unmistakably hostile.

"I'm confused."

"No need to be." Buffy butted in, elbowing Xander in the ribs. "Angel's leaving tomorrow. He won't be here anymore to distract us and we're dealing with that." She seemed to look at the dark haired man pointedly and it was enough to shut the younger Slayer up and make the vampire back up a pace.

"Oh." He looked at Buffy, his soulful eyes filled with anguish. "Are you alright? Is everything ready for tomorrow?"

Xander stepped in, putting himself between the girls and the vampire. "We're all set. Just show up and do your part and there won't be a problem."

The vampire snarled for a moment, unhappy to be talked down to by the boy. He kept it reined in knowing it wouldn't help. If anything, this was his mess and he had to take responsibility for it. He loved Buffy more than he could imagine but he also knew there wasn't a future for her that didn't include death in one way or another. He knew he was being cruel to be kind, leaving before they could destroy each other in the small ways only those in love can manage.

"Alright. I'll leave." He surrendered, holding up his hands. "It was good to see you, Buffy." He said meaningfully, at last. She shivered and he took that as her response. Without anymore words he took off toward the back of the property, past them. Buffy took off toward the front gates, needing to do something to distract her from the pain. Xander, used to irrational acts when it came to the vampire didn't seem to want to protest her leaving. He had another Slayer for back up, after all.

"What's the deal?" she asked softly once Buffy could no longer be seen.

"Buffy fell for one of the worst people in the world for her. That thing. Now he's finally doing the decent thing and leaving town but it's pretty much killin her. Now me and Will have to watch what he's leaving behind and it hasn't been pretty."

There was so much anger in his tone that the girl shivered. "You love her." She observed, making him stop in his tracks. He blinked, shaking his head.

"Well sure, I love the Buffster but it's not, you know, romantic. That ship sailed with my spectacular failure our sophomore year."

"So you're no in love with her?"

"No. I had my girlfriend and I lost her."

"And Buffy was with Angel?"

"Yep until they decided to get hot and sweaty. Then he lost his soul, went evil, and killed Giles' girlfriend. Buffy sent him to hell and he came back and she lied to us about it. Then they said they were only friends but it never was that way with them. It never will be. I'm glad he's leaving. I never liked him. Once a vampire, always a vampire."

"Are there any others, like him, with a soul?"

"No."

She didn't say anymore on the subject. Xander led her from the quiet graveyard without incident. He took her down the main street running through town and soon enough they came to the Bronze. She could hear the music coming from inside barely held back by the brick walls of the building. They were let in, people stared at Destiny coming in on Xander's arm. One brunette, in particular, seemed to take special notice.

"Oh, Xander, you found someone who doesn't mind that your only after school prospects include the phrase 'Do you want fries with that?' Good for you."

"Hey, Cordy, why don't you let me worry about my own life?" Destiny heard the same pain in his tone that she heard in Buffy's earlier. So this was his ex…

"I just think its sweet you found someone to support you as a future loser of America." She smiled cruelly.

Destiny felt herself wince. He was her friend, or, at least, a potential friend and she didn't like seeing him treated this way. Without letting him make a response she pulled him to her and kissed him. She didn't have much experience with kissing, indeed, this was almost her first kiss but it was enough to prevent a reply on either side and as the kiss lasted, though it didn't deepen, Cordelia got fed up and walked away with a frustrated sigh. She pulled away once she heard the mean girl retreat. Xander seemed frozen in place.

"She's gone." The brunette mentioned, looking to where the mean girl retreated.

"Who did what now?" the boy asked in return, his voice thick with something that sounded like he'd just woken from sleep.

"That girl being mean to you. She's gone now. That's your old girlfriend, isn't it? She's pretty. Bitter, but pretty."

"Hm? What? Oh! Yeah. That's Cordelia. She's one of the terrible things in this world."

"Do you miss her?"

"Sometimes."

"I shouldn't have kissed you. I'm sorry. I just didn't like her talking to you like that and it was the only way I could think of to get her to go away. It was stupid." She blushed, "I'm sorry. It was impulsive and stupid. It's just you've been nothing but nice to me and…I guess….stop me anytime to save me from this embarrassing rambling?"

He watched her, fascinated. It could easily have been him in that situation, doing the rambling. In fact, he'd been there time and time again with girls wishing he could sink into the floor every time. Watching her do it was kind of, well, cute. When it registered that she was begging him to save her from this embarrassing situation he was quick to step in, smiling his boyish grin.

"Really, it's nothing." He breezed and watched her face fall. Scrambling, he was quick to backpedal. "I mean, it was something, you know, and I appreciate it but it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Kissing and me, it's not the greatest. No! You're a good kisser and everything but I'm not oh kill me now!"

With the situation reversed Destiny couldn't tell if he was rambling to make her feel better or if he really was just that way. Whatever the reason he was cute when he did it and she giggled. She pressed a finger to his lips and stopped his talking, at last, and he looked grateful for the help.

"I think this is the start of a strange friendship." She said brightly, taking his arm to lead him into the club to find their friends.

"Yeah. Friendship." He responded, less enthusiastically.

They found Willow, Ox, and Buffy at a table by the dance floor and all three looked at them. "What kept you guys?" Buffy asked.

"Not all of us wanted to jog here, Buff."

"Did I just see Cordelia walk over to you?" Willow was still a little hurt when it came to thoughts of Xander and Cordelia. The brown haired boy shrugged.

"She came. She insulted. She crawled back into her hole." He thankfully didn't mention what made her crawl back into her hole and not one seemed to have seen. For that Destiny was grateful. "What about you, Buffy?" he continued. "Are you over your brush with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Fangy?"

"Xander." She responded, warningly. He relented.

"You saw Angel?" Willow asked, now concerned that her friend hadn't mentioned it sooner.

"I did. He's ready for tomorrow. He'll be able to help out as long as the rest of the vampires."

"Is he still leaving?"

"Yeah. He's still leaving. It won't change."

Willow wordlessly wrapped her arms around the Slayer and held her, knowing how hard this was for her. The other Slayer would have joined in as well but she simply didn't know Buffy all that well yet and didn't want to risk butting in where she didn't belong.

"Does anyone want a drink?" she asked instead. Coffee was the great teenage unifier, after all. When no one answered she went to the bar and brought back 4 cappuccinos anyway. When she passed them out everyone seemed grateful until Willow noticed she didn't have one for herself.

"This is really great but why don't you have one?" she asked.

"Not much of a coffee drinker. Or, really, any kind of caffeine. It's not pretty when I get it in my system. Angel, I mean, Angelina is sort of a health nut. She hasn't let me have anything she considers a pollutant since I moved in with her. No caffeine, no high fructose corn syrup. I haven't had a Dr. Pepper in ages. I used to miss it and now, oddly, I don't."

"That's cool. I can respect a clean lifestyle." Oz responded. "Me? I'd die if everything in my body were that pure."

"Me too!" Buffy chimed in and took a swig of her coffee to prove the point. They all laughed and eventually they parted ways for the night. Buffy noted with interest that Willow was heading back with Oz and new details would follow eventually. Xander gave his own excuse and headed off in his own direction with a cross in his pocket just in case. Buffy and Destiny headed in her direction, walking in silence

Meanwhile the two Watchers were still wide awake in Giles' flat, immersed in books and booze and the topic of the ascension. She was stretched across his couch, her small body draped gracefully over the tan fabric. Her arm cushioned her head and dangled off the arm of the sofa while her legs were curled gracefully behind her. A book lay flat on the table in front of her and a half consumed glass of scotch rested on her hip with her hand balancing it there. She could have been modeling for a portrait; she looked so relaxed and composed. It was hardly the way he felt.

Rupert was sitting on the floor, books scattered around him and the empty bottle of Salut single malt Scotch. According to his drunken ramblings he only served it on special occasions. According to her intoxicated admonitions, she only accepted it to be polite and alcohol was hardly a fitting beverage for a respected Watcher. He laughed when she said that and took another pull from his glass.

Giles leaned back, resting his hands on the floor to prop himself up. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling and watched the room spinning slowly around him. "I'm drunk." He declared, tempting fate by moving one hand to rub his eyes underneath his glasses. She watched, having only taken a fraction of what he had. However, she was smaller than he and wasn't accustomed to drink so she was almost an inebriated as he was. At least he managed to stay upright but the book in his lap fell away with a dull thump. The woman watching him laughed, setting her glass aside with shaking hands.

"You have a brilliant mind, Rupert." She purred, moving from her model's pose on the couch to come closer to him. "I don't know why you want to dull it with drink."

He swallowed hard before he looked at her, green eyes glazed over a bit. Until that point they'd been discussing the day tomorrow and the Mayor's Ascension as if some detail had been overlooked in the time they'd known this was going to happen. The problem was that they didn't know what sort of demon Wilkins was turning into, much less how to fight it. They'd argued back and forth about it for a while, tossing out ideas of demons known to deal like this one was reputed to be. The list wasn't long and they didn't find a match. In the end Giles brought out the Scotch figuring to spend what may be his last night enjoying one of the finest Scotches known to man. Ever the gentleman, he even offered to share.

"My bit's easy, tomorrow." He breezed. "It's those kids I worry for, the ones fighting the vampires tomorrow, caught in the crossfire. I know Buffy can distract the Mayor but should our plan fail…" he sighed. "Who knows what might happen?"

"You've no reason to worry, Rupert. Buffy is strong and tested time and again. I only hope Destiny holds up as well. She's never been put through and Apocalypse. She's never faced so many vampires at once before. I know she'll have held but I worry, Rupert. She's been like my own child for the better part of three years now. I can't imagine…losing her."

He reached out his arm and put it around her shoulders. "We have to have faith in them. It's our duty as Watchers and as adults that love them."

The Brazilian woman flashed her brown eyes in his direction. "Poetic." She complimented. Her shoulder brushed his as she came to sit next to him, brushing a book out of the way. When he turned his head to look at her they were face to face, only an inch away from one another. The Britishman blinked, feeling embarrassed to be so close, or perhaps by what he wanted to do to take advantage of the closeness, and turned away from her.

"I should escort you home." He said softly, moving to stand on shaking legs. She laughed.

"You're not going anywhere tonight, I'm afraid, Rupert; it is well and so. This is your house."

"I can't permit you to go home alone in your state. You might be attacked."

"How gallant!" she responded in her sweetly accented voice, standing on her own to reach out and steady him in his feet. "You shouldn't worry about me."

"I should!" he protested. "You're…you're…" he searched for the words and seemed to come up short.

"Perfectly capable of taking care of myself." she finished for him. She moved toward the door and began to pull it open before he rushed over as quickly as he could in his state and put his hand over hers.

"Stay." he pleaded, turning his green eyes on her and giving her his best "puppy dog" look. She sighed.

"If you insist. Where shall I stay?"

"Take the bed upstairs. I've spent more than one night on this couch thanks to scotch and research. I could bear another."

"Oh, Rupert, I couldn't possibly." she protested. Secretly she admired his very staunch commitment to chivalry even if she felt she didn't need the protection. It was nice to think he cared enough not to see her go alone.

"I can't very well have you sleep on the couch, now can I?" he responded, easing the door closed.

"This isn't practical, Rupert. I don't have any clothing here."

"Graduation isn't until noon. I'll have you back at your hotel well before then so you can change."

"And when will you have time to set up for your battle with the Mayor?"

"Let me worry about that."

"But I am worried about it, too. I have a Slayer on the line myself."

"Angelina." he protested before grabbing her around her waist and kissing her. The natural urge to resist such foolhardy and ungentlemanly ideas were beaten to death by the scotch so he had no benefit of impulse control. The woman pulled out of his embrace rather quickly and took a step back. Immediately he regretted not being in full control of his senses. "Ms. Barragan, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He looked wounded.

"When you kiss me, Rupert, I want it to be you kissing me...not the scotch. Staying here isn't a good idea."

"Are you afraid I'll take advantage?" he asked her quietly. She turned, gathering her purse.

"No. I'm afraid I will."

With that she stepped out into the night and he didn't try to stop her though he still wanted to. He was a bit stunned by her last words to him and his own stunningly stupid mistake of kissing her so soon. He'd known her all of twelve hours? Perhaps less. What was in his head? Of course, it was easier to blame the scotch, so he did and headed upstairs to bed.


	5. Are We Bad?

Giles woke with a stunning headache and a rather clear memory of the night's folly. How had he been so careless as to kiss this woman on the first day he knew her? This was uncharacteristically bold of him and he silently damned the scotch, squinting against the bright streaming sunlight pouring into his bedroom through the open window. He groaned, head pounding its complaint. It was a mercy he'd awakened this early. At least his alarm clock hadn't…

*BUZZ*

Nevermind….

He rolled out of bed, cotton mouthed and bone weary. Of all the nights to drink so much! He hadn't the time to lose getting to the high school. It was Graduation Day and that meant taking on the Mayor. He should have been focusing on his task as he showered away the night's grime. Instead, he was reliving his time with Destiny's Watcher, wincing every time she pulled away from his lips. She admitted she wanted to take advantage. That meant she was interested, didn't it? Or was she simply being polite with his feelings?

He really didn't know. She didn't seem the type to counterfeit emotion but how well could he say he knew her? He admired her, certainly. Her mind was a thing of beauty and he'd admired her work long before he ever saw her face. However, he found her face equally as beautiful as her mind. He wasn't much of an artist but he could have drawn it in his sleep, like a master painter rendering the perfect model immortal on canvas. He saw her small body, slim and supple even in middle age. Her long black hair reaching down to her waist and those brilliant jade eyes, like his own, and those lips, full and red. She was an enchantress, he was certain, and his theory was all but proven in his own mind because he couldn't stop thinking about her. He hadn't expected to be so attracted to someone he barely knew.

"_Bugger me._" He cursed again, turning off the hot water and stepping out of the shower in a swirling torrent of steam. He was a gentleman still, wasn't he?

The shower had served to eliminate the stiff muscles of his body but did little against the nausea of his stomach or the riveting pain of his head. Aspirin and toast. Or another shot of scotch. That idea made his stomach gurgle audibly. No, best to be as level headed as possible for the morning ahead. One second's bad timing could prove their undoing. This was a risky plan, at best. If they failed…he tried not to think about that. Best to press on old man, press on.

Angelina woke in her hotel room in only slightly better shape than her male counterpart. Both Watchers seemed to be experiencing the effects of their inebriation and this thoroughly vexing feeling inside of her only reaffirmed her commitment to keeping her body toxin free. She really didn't know how she'd gotten back safely but by some miracle she did. It might have had something to do with the Ascension. Everyone was reserving their strength for the upcoming fight. She remembered Rupert, however, and the heated feeling of his lips pressed over hers. If she'd tried, she thought, she might have been able to breathe through him. She sighed heavily. Such thoughts were the subject of schoolgirl fancy and not suited to her advanced age or state of mind.

Still…what if?

She decided to leave it alone, managing to keep down a cup of tea before she dressed. She didn't know what part she'd play in this dangerous dance but she'd be damned if she wasn't there to participate. Also, she wanted to see how her Slayer's night had gone. She walked into the blazing sunshine, slipping a pair of sunglasses over her tired, red rimmed eyes. The last thing she needed to do was let her impressionable Slayer see her hung over and in this much pain. Every step felt jarring and surreal at once but that didn't stop her head from wailing in protest. She groaned and placed a slim hand on her forehead. This was going to be a long walk.

Destiny woke up on the floor rolled in an old white comforter like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Buffy was already awake and she wasn't sure the elder Slayer had ever gone to sleep. She stretched, raising her arms over her head. The sun was shining outside and birds were chirping. How could the day of an Apocalypse seem so...pleasant? Shouldn't there be dark skies to act as a portent to the danger ahead. Shouldn't there be a plague of locusts or something? But no, nothing outside was even remotely creepy.

"Morning." She mumbled the greeting and slid the comforter down and off her body. June in southern California – she wouldn't need it.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?"

"Decently. But I kinda get the feeling you didn't."

"A lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No. It won't change anything." And the blond still wanted to keep some things guarded from her counterpart. Finding common ground and trying to be friends was not the same as friends she'd had a long time that she knew she could confide in. These thoughts were better saved for Willow. She just didn't trust this new Slayer yet. Destiny tried not to show her disappointment. She wanted to be trusted, to fit in here. She wanted to be accepted by the veteran hero.

"Ok." The brunette got up. "Can I shower?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll use mom's down the hall."

A short time later they were heading to the meeting point at the school. It was early still but their preparations had to be secret so that suited their purposes. Angelina spotted Giles standing alone, presumably the first to arrive. It wasn't surprising when she thought about British sensibilities. He immediately felt awkward and colored a little around the tips of his ears.

"Miss Barragan."

"Angelina, please."

"Miss Barragan."

The woman laughed a little. "Is that how it is going to be?"

"I'm trying to give you the respect you deserve."

"Are respect and interest mutually exclusive, Rupert?"

He was about to answer when Oz's van pulled up in front of the school. When he saw Willow and Oz climb out he merely gave Angelina a look. "Let's try to survive the day first, shall we?"

Before long the gang had gathered, everyone on time for once. This was too important to be late. Each knew what they had to do and confirmed the plan before they broke apart. The crew would be coming soon to start setting up the graduation stage and chairs so they needed to get in, do what was necessary, and get out. Buffy lingered behind once the others broke apart. Destiny stayed with her.

"What's your part of the plan?"

"Gotta get through to a monster."

"What can I do?"

"Hold the line with Angel. These students won't have a clue what to do. Protect them. The vampires won't be able to be topside very long but I want to limit the casualties. No turnings...if that's even what they're going for."

"I promise." Destiny shifted a little, feeling awkward and useless at the moment. "What happened, with Angel I mean?"

The hurt look in Buffy's eyes was quickly masked. She shook her head. "Nothing. He's right, it wouldn't have worked."

"But you love him."

"That doesn't matter. I'm a Slayer. He'd outlive me no matter if I die today or ten years from now. We hunt vampires. We can't love them."

Her tone was full of anguish and the brunette wondered if the speech was meant to convince her or a ploy on the blond's part to try and convince herself. She'd never been in love for herself but she couldn't imagine losing it this way.

"So there's really not much point in dating when we are what we are, is there?"

Buffy looked to her right, torn between a cynical answer and one that might be truer.

"That's really up to you. I've tried to have a normal life for so long and I'll always try to have a normal life because I need to feel like this calling isn't all I am, that this isn't all I'll have."

Clearly the younger was new to the calling. "Isn't it?"

"No." She was firm about that. "It can't be. I have friends and a future, possibilities."

"Oh." She fell into thoughtful silence. "Are we bad, Buffy?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because we're different! We save the world and we kill things! I enjoy killing things. That makes me bad, right?"

"Well, you are killing demons."

"Does that make a difference?"

"It should."

"I don't know."

"Look. I feel the same way sometimes. I wonder where this power came from and why it chose me. I feel strong, powerful, and I enjoy the fight but I wonder if I'll take it too far. There's temptation but you have to keep it under control. That's what makes us good. We could be different and above everyone else but we can choose not to be."

The brunette nodded and felt a little better. Asking Angelina was one thing but she couldn't understand it fully.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to. You know, someone that understands."

"Yeah." Buffy nodded, thinking that might be true.

The people came to start setting up and Buffy hoped everyone would hurry. She ran through the plan in her head one more time, silently repeating it to herself. When the others started to appear, one at a time, she breathed a sigh of relief. Giles was the last to come out, having double checked everything thoroughly.

"Are we ready?"

"As we'll ever be. I pray it's enough."


	6. The Fallout

With all the prep work done it was hard to sit still. It was like waiting for the timer on a bomb to finish its countdown. She knew it was going to explode and she couldn't do anything until it did. The blond's eyes flicked up to the sun. The eclipse was getting closer. Giles, Angelina, and Destiny were sitting in the audience to wait, the rest of them were scattered among the graduates. Looking at the Mayor onstage her heart burned with a special kind of hatred. What man voluntarily chose to lose their humanity in exchange for sacrificing people to demons?

Once he began to change Giles politely excused himself, Angelina grabbing his hand for just a moment to stall him.

"Be careful."

"I will."

He slipped off before the fireworks started, knowing what he was meant to do. Destiny gave her Watcher a questioning look to ask what that was all about. It was brushed off with a gentle shake of the head. This was not the time. Besides, there really wasn't an answer to that question. She'd hold the line with the others, fighting back the onslaught of vampires meant to corral the Mayor's fresh food supply for his ascension. But they probably wouldn't keep much of it fresh. A kill or two could be explained away.

A scream rang out as the demon began to turn into a demon at long last. The graduation was rendered into chaos, vampires appearing out of no where with the disappearance of the sun. The serpent before them was huge but that was Buffy's problem. Destiny broke out her staff, sharpened on an end to pull double duty. Angelina had a crossbow that she could wield with no small amount of skill. When Angel appeared to help they were all prepared.

The student body was already engaged. It had taken so much preparation to tell them what they needed to do, how they could help defend. The rest was on the Scoobies. Destiny watched someone get taken, being drained. She rushed to help but the body fell limp before she got there. The vampire in question poofing into dust on the wind was little consolation against the life snuffed out. She lost sight of the other, doing the best she could with the weapon she had and the odds before her. If last night was quiet today was ground zero. It seemed like every vampire in Sunnydale was there.

"Girly, this isn't your fight." One of them growled as she circled it slowly.

"You exist. Obviously I have a job to do."

"You act like you're the Slayer or something."

"I am. One of them, anyway."

She moved to attack with her staff, letting herself be absorbed into the thrill of the fight. Melee appealed to her. She swept left with her staff and then ducked his oncoming fist. Her leg hooked his knee and sent him toppling back. He fell to the ground on his back looking surprised up to her. She thrust the pointed end of the staff into his chest and watched him disintegrate before her eyes. Only then did she move onto the next. Wave after wave kept coming until she was tired and almost certain she'd falter soon.

The explosion was huge and shook the ground around them. Destiny whirled around to see black belching smoke pouring out of the building. It was crumbling and the Slayer prayed to see Buffy and her Watcher emerge. The sun was starting to peek through and the vampires retreated, Angel included. There weren't many of them left.

"Xander? Willow? Oz, where are you?"

"Here!" Willow waved her hand, a cross in it. She started moving through the crowd toward her. Oz trailed behind a little bloody and Xander last of all. The only one she didn't see was Angelina.

"Angel." she breathed, hit by a sudden wave of panic. "Angelina!"

Her eyes swept over the crowd again but the woman was small and easy to miss. Never mind the casualties at the moment. She was too worried, shoving people out of the way to try and find her Watcher, practically the woman that finished raising her, the only parent she'd known the past four years. Tears started welling in her eyes as her mind started thinking the worst, playing all of the scenarios in her head to drive her mad.

"Destiny!" Xander called out behind her. "Over here!"

She turned around and ran to find him kneeling beside Angel's body. It was bloody, stemming from a wound in her neck. Worst of all, it was unmoving.

"No," she whispered, "no, please."

The brunette came and knelt beside Xander, taking the Watcher's hand. She had no way of knowing how hurt she was. She was alive, at least for now.

"Is she?"

"No. But she's bad."

"Oh, God."

"Giles!" Willow called out, waving her hands frantically. He came running and was right to assume the worst.

"Christ! Miss Barragan, can you open your eyes? Please try to wake up." He slid off his jacket and balled it under her head, propping her up. His handkerchief was pulled and he pressed it to the wound, taking Destiny's hand to hold it in place. "Keep pressure on it." he advised her. There wasn't any change in their patient.

Fire trucks came to the scene though there wasn't a building to save. Ambulances trailed behind quick to offer aid to the various students and guests that had suffered harm. Angelina was among them soon enough, neck cleaned and bandaged and she was on her way toward the hospital to get a transfusion. She still hadn't awakened but her vital signs seemed to be good despite almost bleeding to death, or so they said. Destiny wanted to go with her but stopped herself.

"But why? Go. Go with her." Giles blinked his jade eyes at her in wonder.

"There's too much to do here." The body count was at an astounding 20. They had expected more and had hoped for less. It was still by far the largest graduating class of Sunnydale High school ever. "Any one of those bodies could have been turned. We have to..."

But really, all she wanted to do was ball herself up and cry. Xander put his arm around her shoulders.

"We'll take care of that. You need to be where you gotta be."

Buffy nodded. "I've got it from here." She tried to imagine if it was Giles on that gurney and the thought made her blood feel like ice. She shivered.

"I'll drive you." Oz got the keys to his van out and jiggled them a little.

"You're sure?"

"GO!" Buffy nudged her off toward the street. "No more talking."

Reluctantly she did.

The others stayed behind to tend to the gruesome task of beheading each and every dead body to ensure that none of them had a chance to turn. It was terrible work and Buffy and Giles did the bulk of it away from the prying eyes of everyone else. They left the bodies in the burning school. Afterward when they were quite alone Buffy grabbed Giles and clung to him, crying. There was so much to deal with, too much they'd had to do and she didn't want to imagine losing him on top of it all.

"What's this?" he asked softly. "Tears from my strong Buffy?"

"I can't lose you."

"Whatever put that...ah, I see. You won't lose me, Buffy. It is natural for there to be meetings and partings in life. I will stall our parting for as long as I can."

Angel and Angelina must have been on her mind, he assumed. He held her to him for a few moments before gently pulling her away. "It'll be alright, I promise. Perhaps we should join the others? They'll wonder where we've gone to."

By then the crowd had thinned and the core remained alone all grateful to be alive. Destiny was by Angelina's side when Giles came in the hospital room. It was late but she was still awake, acknowledging his intrusion with an update.

"She still hasn't woken up."

"The doctors say she came through her transfusion beautifully. I'm sure she will soon."

"But what if she doesn't? She's all I know. This job...I hate it here!"

"There's nothing I can say to make you feel better. This calling has its risks. We know what having an active Slayer means. But if she is anything like me she knows that the risk is worth the reward and knowing girls like you, Slayers, is a singularly wonderful honor. Buffy shows me every day what its like to be a true hero. She acts selflessly and with valor. I can only aspire to do the same and I...I care for her deeply for it. I'm sure Angelina is just as devoted to you and your well being."

He reached out and put a hand on hers. Words really were all he had to offer by way of comfort. Well, words and his presence. He felt he should be there for her now. If Angelina did die the responsibility of Destiny would fall to him, a temporary reprieve against the fears of oncoming uselessness now that Buffy was going to university and wouldn't see him or need him nearly as much anymore. But that was no worth the cost of her Watcher's life. She sniffled.

"Thanks."

"Why don't you try to get some rest. I'll stay with her for a while and I'll get you the moment she wakes up. There's a lounge down the hallway. I'm sure the couch is rather uncomfortable but it's better than one of these chairs."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

He patted her shoulder and waited for her to get up before he took her place, watching over the woman in bed with monitors beeping at him every so often. There would never be a point, never a day, when he liked hospitals. They always spoke to him of loss and danger and instinctively he feared them. He watched her and eventually took her hand in his.

"This will never do, Angel," he spoke softly. "You must wake up."

There was no change in her appearance, no change in the beeping machinery but he had to speak. In a way he needed time to vent and process the happenings of the day. It was an enormous thing they'd done and it hung over their heads.

"You come into this job thinking that you're only there to watch this girl fight and die and you tell yourself there's nothing you can do about that. You try to follow all the rules they've drilled into you for far too many years only to find that none of them work. You give up so much to this job! I've resigned myself to a life wholly indebted to hers. I've stopped thinking about the losses I've suffered or resenting the hopes I left behind."

He raised his eyes to her face. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached his hand up and trailed his fingers feather light down her cheek. Even now he found her beautiful. Despite the scotch he knew he wanted to get to know her. Perhaps it allowed him to move more swiftly than he'd ever thought of but that didn't mean it made him do something completely against his own internal leanings. He admired her work, found her beautiful. He liked her spirit and her gall made him blush. Very much like Jenny used to. He sighed.

"You are not something else I can stand to lose, Angelina. You are not something else I intend to give up to this calling. You must wake up so I can have the chance to get to know you."

Even if nothing came from it he wanted the chance. He needed to know. For the first time he realized how closed off he'd been since Jenny's death and how much he wanted to move forward. He couldn't forget her and had loved her very much but she was gone and he was left alive now. She would not have wanted to see him deny himself the chance at happiness. She was someone within the risk of his life already and knew what they entailed. She couldn't be scared away. His head drooped down and he stared at the tile flooring.

"Not just for me. Destiny needs you. She's been here by your side since you came. And...I think I could come to need you too, in time."

"Why didn't you say so in the first place, Rupert?"

The words were slow and quiet but real. He stared in wonder. A small sort of smile was on her lips and she was awake. She even managed to squeeze his hand after a moment.

"I'm very happy to see you, Angelina."

"Where is my Slayer?"

"I finally convinced her to have a rest. She's been at your side for quite a while."

"Did we win?"

"Yes. I believe we have. Sunnydale can wake safe tomorrow. But the school is...well, I'm afraid the school did not come through so beautifully."

"We stopped the Apocalypse. That's all we can ask for."

"Indeed." He cleared his throat and blushed a little. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long enough I imagine." She smiled up at him. "Did you mean it?"

"A..about needing you? I, ah, wasn't...I thought...bugger." He started laughing at his own awkwardness. "Yes. I find you very attractive Miss Barragan. I admire you. Not only are you talented and intelligent, you are also very beautiful. It's hard not to notice."

"You haven't seen my bad qualities yet." But it was charming and she smiled.

"I'm willing to learn more if you're willing to show me."

"In time, Rupert. In time..."

He nodded and grinned. "Shall I get Destiny? She'll want to know you're awake."

"Let her sleep for now. There will be plenty of time to talk once she's rested."


End file.
